The 3 Hour Test...

I received an update Friday, a day after I took my initial 1 hr glucose from the lab providing my results.  The range is basically anything below 140, means not gestational diabetic (GD) anything above 190 means automatically GD.  I fell right at 160.  👎🥴 

I did some research and was hopeful that because I was still below 190, there is still a good possibility that I would be able to pass the 3 hr test.  I've only had to take it once before...and I remember it being pretty yucky.  Not just the whole being poked in each arm twice within hours, but having an empty stomach, then filling it with syrup🤢🤮.  At this point, rather than get too worked up about something I really can't change...I decided to just wait until I heard back from the doctor's office.  

4 days later, (Tuesday) the doctor's office called and my nurse let me know that I had failed the 1 hr test and would be required to come back in for the 3 hr test.  She let me know that I needed to come back in this week, no appointment necessary, but I would need to fast for 12 hours before (water was allowed) and be to the office by 8:30am.  

She said they would take my blood when I arrived, to get my fasting level.  Then they would give me 100ml 10oz glucose drink this time and draw my blood every 1 hour for 3 hours.  She let me know that if I failed two hours out of the three, I would be considered GD and would also begin to see a high risk specialist, in addition to Dr. F. 

She also let me know that my iron levels were at a 9.9 and she recommended that I begin taking iron supplements.

So now armed with this information I decided to find ways to increase my dietary fiber and my protein (since I don't eat meat).  

I found some food recipe for some smoothies, which I began making in the morning before work.  I put some almond milk, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, apples, banana, lime, spinach, protein powder, and flax seed.  I figured it had to be a little healthier than a handful of cereal😜.

I also started eating some Greek yogurt, with a handful of granola for lunch and some crackers and cheese and pistachios for snacks.  Probably too little too late...but I figure it can't hurt, right?!

Well...Friday arrived and I followed the protocol to a T.  Fasted, arrived, gave blood...4 times and stayed as optimistic as I could😃👍

The phlebotomist let me know I would get my results from the lab most likely on Monday, and let me know that if I failed two of the three or all three, I would have to go on "The Diet".  🤷🏼‍♀️🫤. 

The diet?  I'm not sure what that is...but for someone who lives primarily off of carbs, doesn't sound good!  I have known a few diabetics in my life, but not close enough to really understand what they have to do...and I think it's different when your diet just impacts you versus two little people's health that are also relying on your choices.

So, although I'm exhausted and feeling pretty crummy at the moment, I'm staying optimistic and positive that my body will do what it needs to do...and if I fail, because I check every box that makes me high risk (over 35, overweight, and carrying twins), then I will cross that bridge when I come to it🥴.

***Update Saturday afternoon I received the results from the lab.  I failed both the first and second hour tests. My blood sugar level didn't drop until before the third hour.  Soooo...I'm going to be considered GD, required to see a specialist, and will be be put on "The Diet".  I'm not sure what it will consist of but I'm choosing to stay positive.  I can do hard things, I already am going without foods I enjoy, so I'll just add a few more things to the list 🤷🏼‍♀️🥴.  It's only 3 more months.  I can do this...whatever it is.  So for now I'll wait until I get scheduled for an appointment where they can give me the exact details of what my new diet should consist of, instead of just speculating and expecting the worst. 🫤🥰

23rd Week...time for Glucose Testing

Welp, I survived my glucose test this morning!  Let's hope it comes back in the normal range 🤞🤞🥴.

Fruit Punch flavored...yumm🤮

Since I've been pregnant 6 times prior...I'm no stranger to these annoying, yet understandably necessary glucose tests.  With my others however, I remember them sending it home with you the appointment prior to save and drink from home on the morning of the test (since you have to be fasting) then come in and get your blood drawn.  Not anymore.  I guess the honor system is no longer honorable 😜🤷🏼‍♀️.

Anyway, when I arrived at my appointment the nurse gave me two options of glucose flavors.  Fruit punch or orange?  Knowing what I'm about to consume will taste nothing close to good...I go for the fruit punch.  She then shares that I need to drink the entire contents within 3 minutes and then once complete, I need to set a timer for 60 minutes on my phone to let me know when it was time to walk to the lab for my 1 hr glucose check.

Okay so once the drink goes down (surprisingly not as horrible as I anticipated) it's time to be called back for the ultrasound portion.

As you can guess these babies are moving around a ton in there, hyped up on that glucose syrup 😜! The ultrasound tech started with Baby A (girl)...she was active and kicking around the entire time.  She is in a head down position currently with her feet up top...and apparently from what we saw, kicking her brother (Baby B) in the head!  Poor babies, it looks so squishy in there!

Her heart rate was in the 140s which is lower than it has been in all previous ultrasounds, but the doctor assured us that it's still within the normal range and even though she only has a two vessel cord, her weight was measuring a little above average...at 1lb 4 oz.  

Here are some of her beauty shots below 👇:

Since she's head down and closest to my cervix, it's a lot harder to get a clear 3D photo...he also said she's so active, it makes it really hard for a clear picture!

Next was Baby B's (Boy) turn.  He is currently sitting in a breech position, feet down, head up.  Which now makes a lot of the movements and bumps I feel...make a lot more sense! 🤣

Baby B's heart rate was also in the 140s, he was very active in returning those kicks and jabs to his sister.  He is slightly bigger, weighing in at 1lb 6oz, which is also a little ahead of the average😊

Here are some of his handsome shots below 👇:

This last one you can see Baby A's feet in it!  It's amazing to see just how close they are and how they interact with each other.  Literally when one kicks you see the other move!  They are slowly running out of room, which makes me feel for these little guys!  I'm sure their growth will slow soon...but for now we are so happy that they are healthy and seemingly very happy so far!

As for me... Heartburn has surpasses headaches for the #1 source of pain spot. 😜 I've really had to start altering my diet to avoid onions, tomatoes, and any type of sour or spicy foods.  I've also made it so my larger meals are eaten earlier in the day.  It seems to help for the most part, but man..it can be brutal!

Other than food aversions to avoid heartburn, I really have been feeling a lot better overall!  I'm not too uncomfortable yet, but definitely bigger than a single pregnancy would be at this time.  

The doctor gave me an A+ rating for my pregnancy so far.  I've gained a total of 10lbs this pregnancy (3lbs this month) and my blood pressure is looking good at 128/82.  (Still high for me, but they seem to very happy with it!)

The doctor warned me that twins will give me an increased chance of not passing my glucose test...so to mentally prepare just in case. 🤞🤞 I'm really hoping I won't have to go through this again.  Wish me luck! 🍀

Officially Over Half-Way!

This week marks 21!  I can't believe how fast, yet slow this pregnancy is going!  This week the twins are the size of bananas...measuring about 10.5-11" in length and 12-13oz each!  Its only been 2 short weeks since our last scan and these little ones have nearly doubled in length!  

Overall this last week has been great!  I'm still worried about heartburn, so I've been avoiding onions 😭 (I really like onions!) and eating later, which also seems to contribute to heartburn.  I've also learned from experience that pizza and marinara sauce also tend to contribute to the burn... So I'm willing to give up the marinara, but I'm going to have to get creative about the pizza sauce, because I LOVE 🍕 pizza!! 

I'm in the "sweet" spot of pregnancy now, so they say!  Morning sickness is actually limited to mornings (unless I forget to snack), headaches have been on the downtrend, my size isn't too limiting or uncomfortable yet, and I'm trying to keep my heartburn in check. 😊😜

I also am enjoying this stage because not only can I feel the babies moving, but others can feel them also, which is always exciting to be a part of!  It also helps me to feel relieved that they are happy and thriving in there... enjoying the limited space that is continuing to diminish by the day... seriously 🥴🤷🏼‍♀️.

Two more weeks until my glucose test and 23 week ultrasounds are taken so here's to hoping the next few weeks are smooth and uneventful👏🏼🤩🥰!

19 Week Anatomy Scan (Twins)

So yesterday marked 19 weeks 1 day for these little babies growing inside.  This week the average singleton baby weighs approximately 8oz (.5 lb) and measures about 6".  They are comparing their sizes to Mangoes this week🥭🤷🏼‍♀️.  Not sure if that's accurate...I better check out the size of Mangoes again🤣.

Twins, I've been told, don't grow quite as fast as singleton babies, due to room and sharing resources...but these babies are measuring right on...well maybe a little ahead of track! 🤣. 

We had our 19 week anatomy scan for both of the babies yesterday, (I was told it would be approximately an hour per baby, so to come prepared with snacks 🤤).  Although I didn't need snacks, I did need some water so I'm glad my sister was there to help a sister in need!

We started the scan with Baby A.  Who is currently breech, bum down and facing my back.  She was (is) very active, and in very close quarters with her brother (Baby B).  It made the ultrasound very challenging to understand what was what🤣.  At one time we had two circles up on the screen, that the tech froze to do some measuring, but only on one of the circles.  So I had to ask, what he was measuring and then of course, what the other circle was that he was leaving out?!  He said oh, the circle on the right is Baby A's abdomen, I'm measuring the circumference.   The circle on the left is Baby Bs head and we aren't going to focus on him right now 🤣🤣🤷🏼‍♀️.  It made me giggle.  This is definitely a first for me.  Although I've been through SEVERAL pregnancies and ultrasounds...never before have there been two! Haha it was such a cool experience!

Baby A's weighing in at approximately 9oz, heart rate was cruising in the 160s, she loves to have her hands by her face, and seemed to be drinking or sucking a lot!  She's very active and has an adorable little profile, just like her bigger sisters did (still do)!  

After an in-depth scan and multiple measurements of Baby girl A, we moved on to Baby B.   Who wasn't patiently waiting, he made several impromptu appearances in his sister's pictures and scans.  He was also sitting breech, in a similar position to his sister.  4 weeks ago they were both laying transverse or horizontally one on top of the other...this week however they are now side by side, bum down. 🤷🏼‍♀️😁

Baby B, weighed in at approximately 10oz, had a heart rate in the 140s, was non stop moving, and appeared to be sucking his thumb🥰.  The ultrasound tech commented on how active they both were, so I'm getting that they are used to more chill babies 🤣😜.  (Sorry Shavonne...hope this isn't an indicator of how they will be outside of the womb😜🤞🥰.)

After the anatomy and profile scans our tech provided us some 3d and 4d scans of each baby.  Since they were moving so much, it wasn't super easy for him.  The picture of Baby A is a little wonky and you have to put on your squinty eyes to make out some of her features...but Baby B had a pretty clear picture of his little nose and eyes.  When my sister pulled up a picture of his late paternal grandfather, you could see the resemblance!  I'll post the scans 👇 below.

Baby A ☝🏼

Baby B☝🏼

After our scans we were told the doctor wanted to speak with us and go over the scans, which was kind of odd, because we heard he was in delivery and we would be seeing the NP instead 🤔.

After a lengthy wait in the exam room, Dr. F. finally arrived.  He told us that the anatomy scans on both babies looked great, but there was one item that was noted for Baby A.  She has a "two vessel umbilical cord". He went on to explain that typically when there are only 2 vessels vs 3, there are common anatomical issues that are also present, typically impacting the heart or kidneys.  He assured us however that those organs currently, look great and show no indication of not being normal or functioning incorrectly!  If you're interested in learning a little more about a 2 vessel umbilical cord here's a link that I found helpful.

2 Vessel Cord Explained

So what's next?  We continue to monitor babies for growth every 4 weeks by ultrasound.  Nothing special needs to be done or changed.  I do however have my glucose appointment scheduled in 4 weeks🥲.  Which is so much sooner than I ever did it for any of my single pregnancies.  The doctor mentioned that twins require twice the amount of extra insulin to be produced so there is a good chance I might come up short and be gestational diabetic.  I'm sure my age and size don't help either 🥴😭.  But here's to hoping my body can overcome the extra need for insulin and I can keep my diet as is!🤞❤️. So far this pregnancy I've gained a total of 5 pounds (3 being in this last month).  So, I'm grateful for a body that's been so accommodating to it's new occupants and nourishing them so well!  Let's hope everything continues to stay on track 🤞🏼!

How I feel:  I'm still recovering from that cold/flu over the holidays.  Don't feel bad, just a lingering runny nose and cough, boo.  Headaches have not been a huge issue this week, thank goodness!  Unfortunately I started to develop heart burn after eating some salsa at 2pm on New Year's day and after still dealing with it's effects at 9pm that night decided I'm never eating spicy food again😭.  That was brutal.  So after mentioning it to the doctor yesterday, I was given the green light to take Pepcid maximum strength.  (Took one last night and it totally worked!)  So happy...lets hope the headaches and the heartburn stay away! 🙏🏼😁

Babies are super active and I can feel them throughout the day and night constantly.  It's hard to make out which ones which since they are so close together 😜🤩. Since they are still small, they don't pack too big of a punch yet (🙏🏼) so they don't keep me up at night or make it hard to relax or breathe just yet.

Well that's the update I have for this week! ❤️